QS Update: Early Rounds Dash the Dreams of Banting and More, While Mitch Crews and Co Keep Them Burning

In good quality Sunset Beach today, with a mid interval NW swell around the 8’ plus mark and side-offshore trades, three dreams died. At least for a coupla months.

Caleb Tancred, Jordy Lawler and Matt Banting are now out of the qualification talk after they didn’t make it through round two of the Vans World Cup. For Banting especially it must be an ouch moment — Mat was inside the cutoff two weeks ago. Now he gets to watch, or maybe just fly home, while several other Australians keep swinging.

Stu Kennedy, Jack Robinson, Liam O’Brien, Morgan Cibilic and Ethan Ewing are still there, along with Mitch Crews, who put on a real show today. We can’t believe we missed Crewsy in our earlier wrap. He is on fire and has a freakish, very outside chance of making the cut if he can win this event, and today’s form wasn’t far off it.

The big CT seeds come in next round, which may be on hold for a coupla days while a new swell builds to the NNW of the islands.

Meanwhile, have a look at some of those heats today on replay, especially Crewsy, Jack, and the wonderful Hawaiian power surfer Ian Gentil who made everyone else look like babies. Sunset’s a waltz, and Ian definitely led.